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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29418030">wrestle for victory</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/emleewrites/pseuds/emleewrites'>emleewrites</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Arm Wrestling, First Kiss, Flirting, Fluff and Humor, Haikyuu!! Manga Spoilers, Karasuno, M/M, Pro Volleyball Player Hinata Shouyou, Pro Volleyball Player Kageyama Tobio</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 12:08:26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,124</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29418030</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/emleewrites/pseuds/emleewrites</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Kageyama!” Shouyou chirps, patting – okay, smacking – Kageyama’s forearm repeatedly with overexcited fingers. “We should have that arm wrestle!”</p><p>“Huh?” Kageyama’s confused voice reverberates around the beer bottle he’s still sipping from as he looks out of the corner of his eye at him, brows knitted in confusion. </p><p>“The arm wrestle! You know, like we said earlier?”</p><p>Something sparks in Kageyama’s eye. Revenge, probably. He bangs his bottle back down on the table. “You’re on.”</p><p>-</p><p>In which Hinata, high on victory after the Schweiden Adlers vs MSBY Black Jackal match, challenges Kageyama once more to an arm wrestle. Good thing there's a consolation prize for the loser.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>486</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Kagehina Exchange</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>wrestle for victory</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/shipallofthem/gifts">shipallofthem</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The restaurant is noisy and hot and just slightly too stifling. Shouyou loves it.</p><p>Still floating on the high of victory, he doesn’t think he’ll ever come down from this cloud. Not for a long time, anyway. He’s been beaming since the match between the Black Jackals and the Adlers ended, with his team emerging as the victors. With three sets to one, no less.</p><p>It’s like someone has filled his blood with bubbles, the way he’s been buzzing and vibrating since the game ended, since his old teammates appeared from the stands in a little crowd he didn’t expect to see. He had known Yachi and Yamaguchi and Tsukishima were coming – there had been talk of a get together dinner after the game ever since the match had been announced.</p><p>But Shouyou had not expected almost the entirety of his first team at Karasuno to show up in support.</p><p>So it turns out the restaurant reservation was made a little bigger than he’d been expecting, and Shouyou’s cheeks ache from how hard he’s been smiling since they all arrived. It’s been years – literal <em>years</em> – since he’s been with everyone like this, and sheer joy is making his head light and pleasantly fuzzy.</p><p>Well, that and the couple of beers he’s drank.</p><p>And it’s not that Shouyou is a light weight, you understand, it’s just that he’s played a very big game today. And he might’ve had one drink before their food arrived. And his empty stomach coupled with a little bit of dehydration meant that the alcohol went to his head a little faster than normal.</p><p>So as he sits there, very happily buzzed, sandwiched between Yachi and Kageyama and doing his best to follow along with the story Tanaka and Kiyoko are telling are telling about trying to get Nishinoya involved in tonight’s festivities through FaceTime, it’s no wonder the best idea he’s ever had pops into his brain.</p><p>It starts with a bump, just a little nudge, of Kageyama’s forearm against his. No big deal, Kageyama’s just lifting his own drink – also beer, surprisingly – to take a sip, but it draws Shouyou’s attention nonetheless.</p><p>(Most things about Kageyama draw Shouyou’s attention but less said about that the better, especially while he’s inebriated.)</p><p>Watching Kageyama’s arm lift and drop, the slight bunch and stretch of strong muscles under smooth skin makes something tickle in the back of Shouyou’s brain. Why is he getting a feeling he’s forgotten something?</p><p>He frowns, staring at Kageyama’s arm hairs without really seeing them as he wracks his memory. Arms, arms…</p><p>Oh! The arm wrestle contest he’d sort of promised they’d have before the match!</p><p>“Kageyama!” he chirps, patting – okay, smacking – Kageyama’s forearm repeatedly with overexcited fingers. “We should have that arm wrestle!”</p><p>“Huh?” Kageyama’s confused voice reverberates around the beer bottle he’s still sipping from as he looks out of the corner of his eye at him, brows knitted in confusion.</p><p>“The arm wrestle! You know, like we said earlier?”</p><p>Something sparks in Kageyama’s eye. Revenge, probably. He bangs his bottle back down on the table.</p><p>“You’re on,” he agrees, and then that <em>smirk</em> splits across his face – the one that’s caught between a snarl and an actual smile.</p><p>Shouyou shivers a little, his adrenaline always gets pumping whenever he sees it. He grins back, knowing his teeth are bared, and is just preparing to roll up his sleeve and plant his elbow on the table to get to it when a loud sigh interrupts them.</p><p>“We’re in <em>public</em>,” Tsukishima points out from Kageyama’s other side over his fancy drink (milk and… something else Shouyou does not deem necessary to remember.) “Can’t you wrestle at home?” He gets knocked slightly as Kageyama simply chooses to ignore him, angling his body better to face Shouyou and looks increasingly tempted to dump the rest of his posh drink down Kageyama’s shirt.</p><p>Shouyou also chooses to ignore him because Tsukki needs to learn how to have fun. And also because he’s still a little sulky that he hasn’t received photographic proof of Tsukki wearing his sparkly pink souvenir shirt that Shouyou had bought him specially. He’d even asked Yamaguchi to find out his size.</p><p>Unfortunately, no matter how much he twists and leans over and arranges and rearranges his arm on the table, there doesn’t seem to be any comfortable way of setting up an arm wrestling match sitting side by side as they are. Kageyama seems to be struggling as well, huffing as he worms around in his seat.</p><p>Finally, before Tsukishima can <em>really</em> lose his patience and throw something other than his drink at Kageyama, Tanaka speaks up and saves the day.</p><p>“Hinata, why don’t you swap places with me? That way you can sitting opposite each other – like you’re supposed to in an arm wrestle?”</p><p>Shouyou beams brightly. “You’re a genius Tanaka-san!” he enthuses, earning him a wink from his favourite senpai.</p><p>“I will judge your mighty battle,” Tanaka says solemnly as he stands, pulling out his chair for Shouyou to sit in.</p><p>Shouyou scrambles out of his seat, babbling out a rushed apology to Yachi (who shares a fond look with Kiyoko) as he squeezes his way past her to get to the other side of the table.</p><p>Settling into Tanaka’s seat, now directly opposite Kageyama, Shouyou feels the thrill of competition start to flare to life in his belly again.  </p><p>With a grin, he leans forward and plonks his elbow on the table with confidence, waggling his fingers at Kageyama as cockiness surges through him. Normally he wouldn’t be feeling quite so confident, but he has just won today. He feels like he could conquer the whole world if he wanted to. Blind hope is gone – he has<em> trained</em> for this.</p><p>Kageyama smirks, making a show of rolling up his sleeve and resting his own elbow on the table, muscles bunching. Shouyou licks his lips a little and shivers as those dark blue eyes pierce him – he really can’t help it, that challenging slant to Kageyama’s mouth just <em>does</em> things to him. A fire burns deep in the pit of his belly as Kageyama clasps his hand within his own, admittedly much larger, one.</p><p>A babble of noise goes up as Yachi and Tsukishima both lean over on either side of Kageyama to clear away space on the table – Yachi smiling with exasperation and Tsukishima muttering to himself under his breath.</p><p>Shouyou pays them no mind – the battleground is cleared; they are ready to go to war.</p><p>He tightens his grip on Kageyama’s hand, shifts in his seat, and meets piercing blue with fire of his own. He’s stared Kageyama down on the battlefield before, even as his stomach turned into knots, this is just another clash in the ongoing competition.</p><p>“Fighters ready?” Tanaka says, standing behind Shouyou. He raises his own arm and leans into view, then brings down his hand sharply in a chopping motion. “Go!”</p><p>Shouyou heaves at the same time Kageyama does, straining at the resistance that immediately awaits him. Gripping the table with his other hand, he plants his feet to the floor and puts his back into it.</p><p>It’s difficult. Kageyama is strong, <em>very</em> strong, and those big arms are not just for awesome sets and terrifying serves. Shouyou grunts with the effort, feeling sweat starting to build between their clasped hands as they battle on. The strain from the game earlier is starting to show in the ache in his shoulders, but he won’t give up that easily.</p><p>He peeks at a couple of points, to see where the angle is, but every time he does he finds Kageyama’s eyes searing holes into him so he diverts his gaze, keeps it locked on the table top surface that will serve as victory.</p><p>“You know, Your Highness,” Tsukishima’s voice pipes up suddenly, “if you stop staring at his muscles like you want to eat them and focus on what you’re doing maybe you’ll beat him this time.”</p><p>
  <em>“What?”</em>
</p><p>Shouyou feels Kageyama’s grip falter ever-so-slightly and pounces on the opportunity, mouth running before he can even think about it.</p><p>“Don’t worry, Kageyama-kun! I worked really hard in Brazil so it’s only natural for you to be mesmerised by my buff physique!”</p><p>There’s another strangled noise and Kageyama’s hand slips again, just a smidge, but it’s all that Shouyou needs. Changing his grip in response, Shouyou heaves, using the new found angle to find the purchase he’s been looking for. Kageyama’s elbow slips and Shouyou grins, adrenaline pounding through him. His shoulder and bicep scream, his forearm so tense that it’s like iron, and then, finally, there’s that sweet freefall moment as he pushes through.</p><p>The back of Kageyama’s hand crashes against the table and for a moment, neither of them move.</p><p>Shouyou stares, stunned, at his hand pinning Kageyama’s to the table, before elation erupts within him.</p><p><em>“I won!”</em> he cries, letting go of Kageyama’s hand to throw his own into the air in triumph. Tanaka grasps it and shakes it like he’s just emerged as the champion of a grand tournament.</p><p>Which, in a way, he sorted of has.</p><p>“You <em>cheated!”</em> Kageyama squawks furiously, almost getting out of his seat in his indignation.</p><p>Tsukishima snickers quietly into his glass.</p><p>“I didn’t <em>cheat</em>! I beat you fair and square!” Shouyou protests, deeply insulted. He would <em>never</em> cheat.</p><p>“You… you <em>said</em> things – “</p><p>“All’s fair in love and war, Kageyama,” Tanaka chides, waggling his finger. “You were trying to stare him down too, you know, it’s just Hinata’s tactic worked a little better.”</p><p>Kageyama’s face goes a very deep red, very suddenly, and Shouyou is caught between wanting to drink the sight in and cackle openly.</p><p>“I want a rematch,” Kageyama demands, the colour in his face draining almost as soon as it arrived, and he resettles his elbow back on the table, fingers twitching tauntingly.</p><p>Shouyou almost vibrates in his seat with excitement, high on the drug of continuous victories, and reaches for Kageyama’s hand as Sugawara’s excited whoop echoes down from the other end of the table encouragingly.</p><p>“Maybe only <em>one</em> match is enough for a public place?” Comes Daichi’s stern voice just before Shouyou can clasp Kageyama’s hand.</p><p>And you know what, even though Daichi hasn’t been his captain for a long time now, Shouyou still feels a tendril of fear slip down his spine. Meekly, he gets up from his chair and scuttles back around the table to slide back into his seat next to a similarly abashed looking Kageyama.</p><p>There’s a few titters and snorts of laughter, and then the burble of conversation starts up again as the moment passes and everyone resumes chatting.</p><p>“Ha!” Shouyou crows as soon as the heat is off, twisting in his seat to bare his teeth at Kageyama in a victory grin. “That makes 1,097 wins for me!”</p><p>“But I’m still at 1,110,” Kageyama points out, his earlier annoyance disappearing like smoke as smugness takes its place. “So I’m still winning.”</p><p>“Well… yes,” Shouyou huffs, feeling a teeny tiny dent to his pride, “but I’m on a winning streak now, so it’s not long before I catch up.”</p><p>Kageyama eyes him, some of that smirk falling away in favour of something Shouyou can’t quite decipher – it looks so out of place on his face. But before he think on it too deeply, Kageyama is flicking him on the forehead.</p><p>“Don’t get cocky,” he chastises, and goes back to his bottle of beer before Shouyou can retaliate.</p><p>Shouyou grumbles, accepting the new bottle Tanaka slides him across the table with a strangely knowing smile, and taps his ankle against Kageyama’s in petty revenge anyway.</p><p>They spend so long in the warm, cosy environment of the restaurant that by the time they finish – just before closing – and head outside the cold is such a shock that Shouyou violently shivers. Winter in Japan… this he certainly didn’t miss while he was in Brazil.</p><p>“You should get a warmer jacket,” Kageyama observes, peering down at him.</p><p>Shouyou hums his disgruntled agreement. Still feeling lofty from victory, and the fact he even owned one at all, he’d opted to wear his MSBY jacket over his usual clothes and while it’s warm, it’s not exactly the equivalent of a coat. But even Kageyama’s Schweiden Adlers jacket looks thicker. Shouyou looks at it with a pouting sigh. He really should’ve brought his hoodie along too as an extra layer.</p><p>“I’m not giving you mine,” Kageyama says, looking suspicious.</p><p>“I’m fine anyway,” Shouyou shoots back immediately, even if his muscles are still trembling a little bit. He’ll be fine once he gets to the station. And anyway, he can’t be seen wearing his rival’s team colours – that would be sacrilege.</p><p>Burying his nose in his collar, he shuffles next to Kageyama all the same, hoping to leach some of his body heat, and watches his old teammates exchange farewells and make preparations for getting home fondly. He really, <em>really</em> didn’t expect this. He almost didn’t even expect to play, to <em>win</em>, somewhere in the deepest, most insecure part of his mind.</p><p>The memory of victory fills him again for the countless time that night, warming him better than any coat, and he smiles against his collar, before looking up at Kageyama, suddenly hit by a bolt of genius inspiration.</p><p>He’s on a winning streak after all, and he might as well ride it as for long as he can before he lets Kageyama get too far ahead.</p><p>Quick as always, he reaches out and snags Kageyama’s elbow, pulling it insistently until Kageyama looks down at him, confusion written into his frown.</p><p>“This way, this way,” Shouyou urges, tugging and pulling until Kageyama reluctantly follows him to a quiet area of the street, a little ways away from the rest of the group. Shouyou’s keen to try out his new idea right away, but even he’s wary of doing so in front of an audience.</p><p>“What?” Kageyama grumbles when they stop, frowning down at him, “what do you want?”</p><p>“So… today is day of victory! Right?” Shouyou says, bouncing on his toes and hiding his nervous fingers in the pockets of his jacket.</p><p>Kageyama huffs, rolling his eyes and looking almost sulky at being reminded again that he’s lost twice today. “I suppose so,” he admits eventually, before the petulant look fades for something gentler – a very slight sort of smile. Like someone had smoothed away all of his frown lines and made him soft around the edges instead.</p><p>Shouyou swallows roughly at the sight, his heart flipping over in his chest before kicking up, racing in his sudden fondness. He sort of wishes Kageyama could look like this all the time.</p><p>“Well… considering how well you’ve done today, in spite of all your failures,” Shouyou says, finding his voice, “I think you deserve a consolation prize.”</p><p>Kageyama doesn’t reply, just raises one eyebrow, a sliver of his frown returning.</p><p>Shouyou shifts from foot to foot, summoning his remaining courage, before rocking up onto his tiptoes, wrapping his cold hands around Kageyama’s jaw, and kissing him.</p><p>It isn’t, technically, their first kiss.</p><p>There had been pecks, cautious little brushes of lips, back in high school – tentative and shy and not meaning too much. Shouyou had pressed kisses to Kageyama’s shoulders and collarbones during hugs, and whenever they were pressed together, either through victory huddles or just nestled close while sitting on a bed trying to study. He’d felt kisses on his hairline too, more than once, in the times when they were alone and Kageyama was feeling particularly brave.</p><p>They had gotten close, but they were perhaps a bit too young in high school and a bit too separate by the time adulthood arrived.</p><p>But they’re not separate anymore, and now that Shouyou can stand by Kageyama’s side and really claim that he deserves to be there, he wants to bridge that gap. Claim another victory in what has been the best day of his life so far.</p><p>Kageyama looks a little stunned when he pulls away, blinking big blue eyes at him like he can’t believe what just happened, and Shouyou taps his thumbs against his cheeks lightly, waiting as patiently as he can for his brain to come back online.</p><p>It does so with a wobbly smile – the one that looks like Kageyama is biting his lip to stop it from spreading, the one he wears when he looks down at a volleyball, full of excitement and joy.</p><p>Shouyou beams when he sees it, a balloon expanding in his chest, and meets Kageyama in the middle for another kiss, fireworks exploding inside him as Kageyama settles two big hands around his waist to pull him closer, tilts his head to improve their angle.</p><p>He would spend all night out here kissing Kageyama if he could, but unfortunately they are in public, with a gaggle of friends waiting for them – and probably spying – so Shouyou eventually pulls away with a happy little sigh, dropping back down onto the souls of his feet and slipping his hand into Kageyama’s. His tummy flips pleasantly when Kageyama doesn’t pull away.</p><p>“You know,” he says, as he tugs lightly and encourages Kageyama to follow him back to the group, already spotting a few knowing smiles and ignoring them diligently. They really shouldn’t be so nosy. “Next time we arm wrestle we should have a wager – that might encourage you to switch up your tactics instead of accusing me of cheating when I simply point out how irresistible I am.”</p><p>“Wager?” Kageyama grunts. He flicks his eyes over to their friends as they near but doesn’t drop Shouyou’s hand. Shouyou’s tummy flips pleasantly again. “What kind of wager?”</p><p>“Well, Natsu does have a <em>lovely</em> headband with little cat ears on it and I think it would look absolutely fetching on you…”</p><p>“Why would I wear that?”</p><p>“Because you would’ve lost Kageyama-kun, keep up.”</p><p>“I’m not losing again. What do I get when I win?”</p><p>“<em>If</em> you win, and I don’t know! That’s up to you, isn’t it?”</p><p>Shouyou feels a grin burst across his face, stretching around the snappy words he wants to trade with Kageyama. He can’t help it, even bickering like this he’s just so <em>happy</em>. For the first time he thinks he really understands what people mean when they say they feel on top of the world. The world really does feel like his right now.</p><p>He falls into familiar step – of walking alongside Kageyama and trading charged, exciting words back and forth, their hands swinging between them, as they join their friends, and mentally adds another notch to his tally.</p><p>It’s 1,098 to 1,110 now.</p>
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